Quick update, since it’s late and I should be sleeping since baby is sleeping…
He is doing better. Usually he manages one longer stretch per night of 2-3 hours. He is slightly easier to calm back to sleep without picking him up, and he fights it less when I pick him up and just rock without nursing.
There was a brief teething period where he was waking up every hour again. No fun.
But typically, when I get home, he’s asleep, which is a vast improvement. With my newfound freedom, I’m able to do my Bible study/devotional with minimal apprehension about the baby monitor going off, which is awesome. I can also usually eat a snack, wash my face, brush my teeth, put on pajamas and do some light reading or TV watching and a couple chores before he wakes up.
I then go up and lay my hands on him, soothe him, and if he doesn’t settle, I pick him up and rock him and turn on the seahorse. The seahorse shuts off after about five minutes. He’s generally back asleep well before then. I set him in the crib and go sit in a chair in the corner and play on my phone or something for a few minutes to make sure he’s really asleep, then I leave and can resume what I was doing before. Or I go to sleep.
Before all this sleep drama, my husband and the baby were always awake when I got home. (Not husband’s fault, I should note. No one’s fault.) Now, baby has a more distinct bedtime and routine that also starts earlier. That’s progress.
We have kind of plateaued at the 2-3 hour stretch though. I’d love for him to sleep a five-hour stretch (official definition of Sleeping Through The Night). Not sure what we need to change to accomplish that, if anything. I’ve tried a quick diaper change around 4:00, but he still woke an hour later.
Nowadays, I put him back in his crib each time he awakens during the night. But I have to draw the line somewhere, and that somewhere is 4 a.m. At that point, it’s to the big bed with Mama, cuz Mama needs some rest…
Fingers crossed for continued progress. 
Congratulations on the progress. Does he like classical music? It used to put my crew to sleep. Not sure the “Mozart effect” helped their math scores, but it was Brahm’s, Bethoven, and Bach to bed!